Method for Validation of Thermal Solution for an Electronic Component

ABSTRACT

An information handling system and method of operating an information handling system are disclosed. In one embodiment the method comprises operating a component coupled to the system at a first steady state average power consumption, measuring the temperature of the component to produce a first temperature measurement, operating the component at a second, higher power consumption for a first time period, and measuring the temperature of the component at the end of the first time period to produce a second temperature measurement. A transient thermal metric is calculated based at least in part on the first and second temperature measurements, and the transient thermal metric is used to infer the thermal coupling status of a heat dissipation appliance that is nominally thermally coupled to the component.

BACKGROUND

The description herein relates to information handling systems and theevaluation of thermal systems used in such systems.

As the value and use of information continue to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option available to users is information handling systems. Aninformation handling system (IHS) generally processes, compiles, stores,and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or otherpurposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of theinformation. Because technology and information handling needs andrequirements vary between different users or applications, IHSs may alsovary regarding what information is handled, how the information ishandled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, andhow quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, orcommunicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general orconfigured for a specific user or specific use such as financialtransaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage,or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety ofhardware and software components that may be configured to process,store, and communicate information and may include one or more computersystems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

IHSs often contain one or more semiconductor components that have a highpower density and/or high power consumption under some operatingconditions. The convection and/or radiation cooling characteristics usedfor the IHS as a whole may be insufficient to remove the waste heat fromsuch a component and keep the component within its normal operatingtemperature range. Such components are commonly fitted with a passiveheat sink or dedicated fan/heat sink assembly to provide a largersurface area for the dissipation of waste heat. The heat sink requires agood thermal contact to the semiconductor package in order toeffectively perform its function.

SUMMARY

A method of operating an IHS comprises operating a component coupled tothe system at a first steady state average power consumption, measuringthe temperature of the component to produce a first temperaturemeasurement, operating the component at a second, higher powerconsumption for a first time period, and measuring the temperature ofthe component at the end of the first time period to produce a secondtemperature measurement. A transient thermal metric is calculated basedat least in part on the first and second temperature measurements, andthe transient thermal metric is used to infer the thermal couplingstatus of a heat dissipation appliance that is nominally thermallycoupled to the component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an IHS.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of an IHS coupled to a plurality offully-buffered dual inline memory modules (FB-DIMMs).

FIG. 3 depicts front, back, and side views of one embodiment of anFB-DIMM.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view and top edge view of a second embodimentof an FB-DIMM.

FIG. 5 contains a chart with plots of sensed temperature vs. time fortwelve FB-DIMMs.

FIG. 6 contains a chart of delta temperature vs. time, plotted from thesame data as FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 contains a flowchart for a method of validating a thermalsolution.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS includes any instrumentality oraggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process,transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display,manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form ofinformation, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, orother purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, anetwork storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary insize, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may includerandom access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as acentral processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic,ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components ofthe IHS may include one or more disk drives, one or more network portsfor communicating with external devices as well as various input andoutput (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display.The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmitcommunications between the various hardware components.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one typical IHS. The IHS 100 includes aprocessor 110 such as an Intel Pentium series processor or one of manyother processors currently available. A memory I/O hub chipset 120(comprising one or more integrated circuits) connects to processor 110over a front-side bus 115. Memory I/O hub 120 provides the processor 110with access to a variety of resources. Main memory 130 connects tomemory I/O hub 120 over a memory bus. A graphics processor 140 alsoconnects to memory I/O hub 120, allowing the graphics processor tocommunicate, e.g., with processor 110 and main memory 130. Graphicsprocessor 140, in turn, provides display signals to a display device150.

Other resources can also be coupled to the system through memory I/O hub120, including an optical drive 160 or other removable-media drive, oneor more hard disk drives 165, one or more network interfaces 170, one ormore USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports 180, and a super I/O controller190 to provide access to user input devices 195, etc.

Not all IHSs include each of the components shown in FIG. 1, and othercomponents not shown may exist. Furthermore, some components shown asseparate may exist in an integrated package or be integrated in a commonintegrated circuit with other components. As can be appreciated, manysystems are expandable, and include or can include a variety ofcomponents, including redundant or parallel resources.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary portion of an IHS 200 isillustrated, including a processor 110 connected by a front side bus 115to a memory I/O hub 120, and a main memory subsystem comprising twomemory buses MB0 and MB1 and two FB-DIMMs (FB-DIMM0 and FB-DIMM1).Memory buses MB0 and MB1 are point-to-point buses using unidirectionaldifferential signaling on a plurality of high-speed bit lanes. Memorybus MB0 electrically couples memory I/O hub 120 with FB-DIMM0. Memorybus MB1 electrically couples FB-DIMM0 with FB-DIMM1 using a busarrangement like MB0. Each bus comprises “southbound” lanes thattransmit addresses/control signals/data in a direction away from thememory I/O hub and “northbound” lanes that transmit control signals/datain a direction towards the memory I/O hub.

Each FB-DIMM contains an Advanced Memory Buffer (AMB0 and AMB1,respectively) and a plurality of standard synchronous DRAM (DynamicRandom Access Memory) devices (four such devices, D0 to D3, areillustrated on each FB-DIMM). Each AMB has two narrow-width high-speeddata/address ports and one wider, lower-speed data/address port. One ofthe high-speed ports is a “north” port that is electrically closest tothe memory I/O hub; the other is a “south” port that is electricallyfurther from the memory I/O hub. The wider port couples to the DRAMdevices on the FB-DIMM over a traditional SDRAM bus, such as a bus usinga known DDR (Double Data Rate), DDR2, or DDR3 signaling format. Thus onFB-DIMM0, buffer AMB0 has a north port coupled to MB0, a south portcoupled to MB1, and a port to a traditional SDRAM bus DDRB0 coupled toSDRAMs D0-D3. On FB-DIMM1, buffer AMB1 has a north port coupled to MB1,a south port that is uncoupled (but could be coupled to an additionalmodule), and a port to a traditional SDRAM bus DDRB1 coupled to anotherset of SDRAMs D0-D3.

In operation, buffer AMB0 serves as a data switch between MB0, MB1, andSDRAMs D0-D3 on FB-DIMM0. Buffer AMB0 buffers commands/data received onthe southbound lanes of MB0 from memory I/O hub 120 and repeats theinformation on the southbound lanes of MB1 and/or memory bus DDRB0 (withappropriate translation to the SDRAM DDR bus data format). Buffer AMB0also buffers commands/data received from AMB1 on the northbound lanes ofMB1 and repeats the information on the northbound lanes of MB0 to memoryI/O hub 120. Finally, buffer AMB0 buffers data read from SDRAMs D0-D3over DDRB0 and transmits that data on the northbound lanes of MB0 tomemory I/O hub 120.

Due to the multiple high-speed differential receivers/transmitters,buffers, multiplexers, demultiplexers, and attendant logic required forthe operation of the AMB devices, much of which operate continually evenwhen memory operations are idle, the AMB devices generally require muchmore power and a higher power density than the DRAM devices, andtherefore also generate much more waste heat. In one embodiment, eachDRAM device on an FB-DIMM consumes 0.1 to 0.5 W, while the AMB consumes3-7 W, depending on operational state. The AMB thus requires a “thermalsolution” to draw waste heat from the device and keep the device below amaximum operating temperature of about 110° C.

FIG. 3 shows front, back, and side views of the physical layout of oneembodiment for an FB-DIMM 300 incorporating a thermal solution. TheFB-DIMM comprises a printed circuit board 310 with rows of conductivefingers 320, 330 arranged along an edge designed for insertion in a busslot. Eight SDRAMs D0-D7 are arranged on the front side of board 310,and ten SDRAMs D8-D17 are arranged on the back side of board 310. An AMBis also mounted, centered, on the front side of board 310. Connectionsfabricated on various internal layers (not shown) of circuit board 310connect the AMB to selected fingers 320, 330 and the SDRAM devices.Others of fingers 320, 330 provide power and ground for the devicesmounted on board 310.

A heat spreader AOHS (AMB-Only Heat Spreader) is secured to the card ina spaced arrangement over the AMB. Thermal contact between heat spreaderAOHS and the AMB package occurs primarily through a bond line BL of athermal interface material (TIM), such as a phase change TIM thatreflows in the range of 50-60° C.

FIG. 4 illustrates, in perspective view and edge view, a similar FB-DIMM400 incorporating a different thermal solution. Like in FB-DIMM 300,FB-DIMM 400 comprises a printed circuit board 410 with rows ofconductive fingers (one row of conductors 420 shown) arranged along anedge designed for insertion in a bus slot. Eight SDRAMs D0-D7 arearranged on the front side of board 410, and ten SDRAMs D8-D17 arearranged on the back side of board 410. An AMB is also mounted,centered, on the front side of board 410. Connections fabricated onvarious internal layers (not shown) of circuit board 410 connect the AMBto selected conductive fingers and the SDRAM devices. Other fingersprovide power and ground for the devices mounted on board 410.

A heat spreader known as a Full-DIMM Heat Spreader (FDHS) is assembledover the SDRAMs and AMB on printed circuit board 410. The FDHS comprisesfour parts: a front heat spreader (FDHS-F), a back heat spreader(FDHS-B), and two retaining clips C1, C2. Thermal contact between frontheat spreader FDHS-F and the AMB package occurs primarily through a bondline BL of thermal interface material. Front heat spreader FDHS-F isalso bonded to SDRAMs D0-D7 using TIM. Back heat spreader FDHS-B issimilarly bonded to SDRAMs D8-D17 using TIM. Front heat spreader FDHS-Fis aligned to circuit board 410 using two tabs 440, 442 that locatewithin slots on the ends of circuit board 410. Front heat spreaderFDHS-F also is aligned to back heat spreader FDHS-B using similar slotson the ends of FDHS-B. Clips C1 and C2 lock onto FDHS-F and FDHS-B, andthrough spring action hold FDHS-F and FDHS-B against the SDRAMs lyingunder the heat spreaders.

One issue with both the AOHS and FDHS heat spreader approaches is thatthermal performance degrades significantly if the TIM does not make agood thermal connection between the AMB package and the heat spreader.This could be due to an improper or insufficient bond line application,improper spacing between the DIMM and the heat spreader, movement of theheat spreader after assembly, etc. In the assembled FB-DIMM, it may bedifficult or impossible to check for proper TIM performance. Should oneof these problems surface, however, the AMB will likely run hot, and mayeven run above its maximum design temperature.

Referring back to FIG. 2, each AMB is equipped with an on-chiptemperature sensor (TS0 on AMB0 and TS1 on AMB1). The temperature sensorcontinually senses the chip temperature, and periodically updates atemperature measurement to a configuration register on the AMB (CR0 onAMB0 and CR1 on AMB1). Processor 110 can obtain these temperaturemeasurements by reading from the configuration register addresses CR0and CR1 over memory buses MB0 and MB1.

The on-board temperature sensors TS0 and TS1 typically producetemperature readings with a large uncertainty. Current AMB temperaturesensors have absolute temperature uncertainty values of ±1° C. or largeracross devices. FIG. 5 shows temperature plots (e.g., one marked 500)for 12 different FB-DIMMs: four with no heat sink, four with an FDHS anda phase change TIM bondline to the AMB installed, and four with an FDHSand a Gap Pad® TIM to the AMB installed (Gap Pad® is a registeredtrademark of the Bergquist Company). Each group of DIMMs reportedtemperatures scattered over a 20° C. or larger range under identicalload conditions.

In an embodiment, the temperature readings are used to infer the thermalcoupling status of a heat dissipation appliance (such as an AOHS orFDHS) that is nominally thermally coupled to a component such as an AMB.It has now been found that although the absolute temperature readingssensed by the AMB are generally too inaccurate by themselves for such apurpose, a different repeatable measurement technique can besuccessfully used despite the devices' widely varying temperatureoffsets. The measurement technique operates the AMB at a first loadcondition and substantially stable temperature readings. The AMB is thenoperated at a second, higher load condition, and one or more additionalAMB temperature readings are taken as the temperature rises toward asecond, higher temperature reading. The initial slope of the temperaturerise is determined by the thermal mass and heat transfer characteristicsof the system components designed to dissipate the increased heatgenerated at the second, higher load condition. When the AMB thermalsolution is operating suboptimally, the AMB will register a fasterinitial temperature rise under the test conditions than when the AMBthermal solution is fully functional.

FIG. 6 illustrates this principle for the same data shown in FIG. 5,except that each device plot shows the difference between an initialtemperature reading (obtained around the time that the AMB is to beadjusted from the first load condition) and each temperature reading(plot 600 is typical). Thus each plot begins at a delta temperature ofzero at time zero, which is about the time when the AMB load isincreased from an idle condition to a full load condition. Subsequentreadings show the temperature rise from time zero, measured at fivesecond intervals.

The thermal solution performance can be distinguished, e.g., during theinitial portion of the test period. The four DIMMs with no operatingFDHS experienced an AMB-measured initial temperature rise of 10-11.5° C.during the first five seconds of the test. The four DIMMs with an FDHSand a phase change TIM experienced an AMB-measured initial temperaturerise of 4-5.5° C. during the first five seconds of the test. The fourDIMMs with an FDHS and a Gap Pad® TIM experienced an AMB-measuredinitial temperature rise of 6-6.5° C. during the first five seconds ofthe test. As the temperatures of the DIMMs begin to stabilize, thedifferential temperatures between the three groups become more difficultto distinguish.

As can be observed from FIG. 6, the initial temperature ramp during thetest is an accurate indicator of heat sink performance. In other words,a better thermal coupling between the AMB and its heat sink will exhibita lower temperature slope under the conditions of a low-to-high powerload change in the device. Thus the initial temperature slope, forinstance, can be used to detect proper functionality of the heat sinkand thermal interface material. A slope that varies out of the expectedrange for the thermal solution towards the slope of an AMB with no heatsink indicates some sort of problem with the thermal solution.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart for a test procedure according to oneembodiment. The device under test is first placed in a steady statecondition, such as an idle condition. The device is queried for atemperature reading at a time T1. The device is then driven to arepeatable condition of heavier load, e.g., a full load condition. Thedevice is queried for a temperature reading at a time T2, e.g., severalseconds after the full load condition is initiated. A delta temperaturebetween times T1 and T2 is calculated and compared to an expected deltatemperature for the configuration. When the calculated delta temperatureis outside of a normal range, a potential problem with the thermalsolution is logged.

The delta temperature is one example of a transient thermal metric thatcan be calculated from the component temperature measurements tovalidate heat dissipation appliance performance. The metric preferablyuses at least two temperature measurements—one taken before temperaturebegins to rise due to a load change on the component, and one takenshortly after the temperature begins to rise. The metric can be, e.g., asimple delta temperature, a slope, a fitted slope based on more than twomeasurements, or a curve fit to a more complicated function that modelsthe expected temperature curve.

The metric can be used to detect potential thermal solution problems bycomparing the metric to expected metric characteristics. Thesecharacteristics can be obtained in several ways. In one embodiment,characteristics such as mean and variance can be gathered over abaseline component sample for various known thermal coupling conditions,and known statistical methods can then be employed to classify a deviceunder test according to various categories of thermal performance. Inanother embodiment, the specific device under test can be tested atvarious times, e.g., upon each boot of a system including the device.The test results can be compiled to produce statistics for the device.Should a subsequent test deviate substantially from the long-termstatistics, a potential problem can be reported.

The thermal test described above can be integrated at several pointsalong the manufacturing timeline, as well as after delivery of a system.As applied to an FB-DIMM, an FB-DIMM test appliance can be programmed toexercise tested DIMMs in a manner that allows the thermal test to beconducted in conjunction with other testing. For instance, basic AMB andSDRAM functionality can be tested with the device at a near-idlecondition, followed by a high-speed memory test. Temperature readingscan be taken prior to and during the high-speed memory test and used totest the thermal solution.

In the factory where an IHS is assembled, loaded with software, andburned-in, the burn-in process can include a similar test. As a systemmay include more than one DIMM, in a variety of configurations, the testprocess may require tailoring specific to the system memoryconfiguration.

In a delivered system, a self-test function in the IHS, similar to thatused in a burn-in process, can periodically check the thermal solutionfor FB-DIMMs and other components using critical thermal solutions.

Many other features of the described systems and methods may be variedas design parameters. Those skilled in the art recognize that variousfeatures and elements are alternately implementable using hardware,BIOS, or operating system approaches.

Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a widerange of other modification, change and substitution is contemplated inthe foregoing disclosure. Also, in some instances, some features of theembodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstructed broadly and in manner consistent with the scope of theembodiments disclosed herein.

1. A method of operating an information handling system (IHS), themethod comprising: operating a component coupled to the system at afirst steady state average power consumption; measuring the temperatureof the component to produce a first temperature measurement; operatingthe component at a second, higher power consumption for at least a firsttime period; measuring the temperature of the component at the end ofthe first time period to produce a second temperature measurement;calculating a transient thermal metric based at least in part on thefirst and second temperature measurements; and using the transientthermal metric to infer the thermal coupling status of a heatdissipation appliance that is nominally thermally coupled to thecomponent.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the component atthe first steady state average power consumption comprises placing thecomponent in an idle state for a period of time sufficient to allow thecomponent temperature to substantially stabilize.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein the component is a memory buffer coupled to the system by amemory bus.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the memory buffer islocated on a memory module coupled to the system.
 5. The method of claim3, wherein the memory buffer is located on a common circuit board with aprocessor coupled to the memory buffer through the memory bus.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein measuring the temperature of the componentcomprises the component sensing its internal temperature with anon-board sensor.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: thecomponent placing the sensed internal temperature measurements in anon-board register accessible to the IHS, and the IHS retrieving thesensed internal temperature measurements from the on-board register. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein operating the component at the second,higher power consumption comprises operating the component at asubstantially full load condition.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereincalculating the transient thermal metric comprises calculating atemperature difference between the second and first temperaturemeasurements.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating thetransient thermal metric comprises estimating a thermal slope based atleast on the first and second temperature measurements.
 11. The methodof claim 1, wherein using the transient thermal metric to infer thethermal coupling status of the heat dissipation appliance comprisescomparing the metric to expected metric characteristics for thecomponent and heat dissipation appliance.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the expected metric characteristics represent a baseline test.13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: performing the baselinetest on similar components and heat dissipation appliances with knownthermal coupling status.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:performing the baseline test on the component at an earlier testingdate.
 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: generating anotification when the inferred thermal coupling status is suboptimal.16. An information handling system (IHS) capable of electrical couplingwith a component nominally thermally coupled to a heat dissipationappliance, the IHS comprising: at least one processor, the component atleast partially controllable by the processor when the component iselectrically coupled to the system; and a routine, executable by theprocessor, to shift the component from a first power consumptioncondition to a second power consumption condition and observe at leastone component temperature difference responsive to the shift, theroutine operable to test the thermal coupling of the component to theheat dissipation appliance.
 17. The IHS of claim 16, wherein thecomponent is a modular component and the IHS comprises a test fixturefor the modular component.
 18. The IHS of claim 16, wherein thecomponent is an operational component of the IHS.
 19. The IHS of claim18, wherein the component comprises a memory buffer.
 20. The IHS ofclaim 19, wherein the memory buffer is mounted on a common circuit boardwith the processor.
 21. The IHS of claim 19, wherein the memory bufferis mounted on a memory module coupled to the IHS.
 22. The IHS of claim16, wherein the component comprises a temperature sensor that senses theon-board temperature of the component, the sensed temperature accessibleto the processor.